


Never Again

by JohannTheMedic



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-06-02
Updated: 2012-06-02
Packaged: 2017-11-06 14:41:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,018
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/420034
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JohannTheMedic/pseuds/JohannTheMedic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>My hands… they are stained with the blood of innocents, and they shall never be clean, even if you cannot see the red that clouds my vision. I will never be free of the atrocities I have committed.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Never Again

How could it come to this?

"I never wanted to," he repeated to Gilbert, shaking as the gun lay on the table in front of them. "I never meant for it to come to this… I never meant to hurt anyone, to be the cause of so much pain… I just…" Ludwig ripped his gaze from the gun, sapphire hues meeting the rubies of his brother's eyes. "I just wanted to not be hungry anymore…"

"Ich weiss, Bruder," Gilbert said softly, his hand touching the stronger of the two's, hand upon hand upon gun. "Ludwig… don't."

"It's my fault," he repeated. "Millions of lives. Jewish lives. Homosexual lives. Gypsy lives. All humans lives…"

"Ludwig-"

"And I had to watch it happen," the guilt seeped through his voice. "Nein. I made no move to stop it. I joined in. I-"

"You were only following orders." Gilbert's voice was harsh and low, reprimanding, as though telling Ludwig that this was an excuse. "Countries must obey their leaders. Your Führer was no different, Ludwig. You cannot take all the blame upon yourself."

"I wanted him to be elected, Bruder. I wanted to be great again." The normally strong, confident voice of the blond was now a broken shade of its former self. Shaking with self loathing venom, his eyes were focused on the gun beneath his and his brother's hands. "I didn't care what it took. Every man, woman, child… Even if I haven't murdered every single one by my hands, I have as good as killed them. My greed and ambition killed millions. I killed millions."

"And what do you plan on doing about it?"

His hand closed around the gun. "Follow the leader."

There was silence between the two, yet Gilbert made no move to remove his hand from atop of Ludwig's, now closing around it. "Nein. I won't allow you to. You're mein Bruder. I raised you. And I'd be doing a disservice to the world by allowing you to kill youself."

"You'd be doing a disservice to the world by allowing me to live."

Gilbert shook his head vehemently. "Anything that I raise has to have some reminiscent of awesome in it- that includes you. You're mein Bruder!" He gave an awkward smile, and bit his lip as Ludwig choked out a bitter laugh. Ah, Preußen… Of course, He would still find a way to be arrogant. He wouldn't be Preußen otherwise. But he could not convince Ludwig, could not change his mind. He did not deserve to live.

"You didn't have to see them, Bruder, have to watch them." He shook. "I did. I watched them removed from their homes and replaced into Ghettos. I saw the Ghettos liquidated and watched them, helped with the transfer from the Ghettos to the cattle cars… From the cattle cars to the camps. The tattooing. The desensitization… the dehumanization…" Ludwig was shaking, lip bit, eyes wide, breath shallow. "Babies used as target practice, mothers crying as their children are ripped from their arms… Fathers dying to protect their children, their sacrifice in vain."

"Ludwig…."

"There was a game," he continued, as though a flood gate has been opened, and what he was revealing could not be stoppered, "in which the men would see who could kill the most prisoners with a single bullet. The winner would take off duty early, and pick a girl to spend the evening with…"

"Bruder-"

"For officers only, the girls' arms said. The prettiest girls were chosen… they had the highest chance of survival… yet they were ostracized by the rest of the prisoners, seen as Nazi collaborators." Ludwig's gaze had fallen on his empty hand. "My hands… they are stained with the blood of innocents, and they shall never be clean, even if you cannot see the red that clouds my vision. I will never be free of the atrocities I have committed."

By this time, Gilbert had stood, his hands on the shoulders of his brother, holding him still. Ludwig's gaze slowly rose from his hand to his brother's face, eyes seeking something, anything to give him a sort of solace for his soul. Yet none was to be found. Blue eyes filled with sorrow, he whispered softly, hoarsely, "Bruder… They are closing in. I feel it. My heart. Berlin. It has fallen."

"And what are you going to do?"

Silence.

"You're going to meet them, Ludwig," Gilbert growled out, rubies flashing, now red like freshly spilt blood. "You're going to meet them, with your head high, admit your wrongs, and be the strong nation I raised you to be! I'm too awesome for this! You're too awesome to take yourself away from us… Don't be selfish, Ludwig. Selfish people aren't awesome."

"Mein Führer said… that the Reich would last a thousand years…. He was wrong…"

"Ja," Gilbert conceded. "He was. He was wrong about a lot of things, huh?"

Ludwig swallowed. "My sins will be talked of for a thousand years- if not longer."

"Probably," Gilbert nodded. "But what better testament to the event than the country that saw it?"

"Bruder…."

"Stand strong, Deutschland. You are mein Bruder after all." The albino was grinning at his brother, his signature, arrogant grin on his face. "Now, what are you going to do?"

After a pause, Ludwig let go of the gun, pocketing it in his gun holder, and stood, facing the door. As if on cue, there was a rough knock.

"Open up, open up~" a Russian accented voice called out.

"Dude!" He heard an American voice called out, "Open up! Come on, Ludwig! We know you're in there!"

"You Bloody Kraut! Get out here, now!"

Ludwig took a deep breath, staring at the door.

"Well?" Gilbert prompted him.

"I will go out," Ludwig said. "I will live. And I will never forget."

"Nein," Gilbert agreed. "Never forget, Ludwig. But do not forget to live, either."

"Never forget."

And he stepped up to the door, opening it for the victorious allies. "Come in," he said calmly. He could never forget what had taken place, what crimes were committed. Never forget.

Never Again.

**Author's Note:**

> This was written as a piece for Yom Ha-Shoah, also known as Holocaust Remembrance Day.


End file.
